If you receive Supported Independent Living (SIL), your provider should be able to explain their registration status and what it means for your support. With the October application deadline now passed, it is useful to know the difference between approved registration and an application still being assessed.
The changes concern providers managing and delivering SIL support. For background on the different home and living supports, see our NDIS home and living options guide.
What changed, and when?
Mandatory SIL registration reforms began on 1 July 2026. They apply regardless of whether your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding is self-managed, plan-managed or managed by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), subject to the provider transition arrangements.
The definition covers providers managing and delivering a package of home and living support for someone needing assistance for most or all of the day. A few hours of support, or an arrangement where you choose, direct and roster your own workers, does not meet that definition merely because support happens at home. Other registration requirements may still apply.
For providers already operating before July, the pathway depends on their previous registration status:
Existing registered SIL providers with registration group 0115 can continue through the Commission’s variation process to add group 0138. They must meet the new SIL Practice Standards, with assessment at their next mid-term or renewal audit.
Existing unregistered providers delivering SIL before 1 July could continue through the transition if they submitted a valid registration application before 1 October 2026. They can continue while it is assessed, subject to the applicable pathway. If registration is refused, they cannot continue delivering SIL.
New entrants cannot start delivering SIL simply because they have lodged an application. They need the relevant registration approval; providers already registered for other services need approval to add SIL.
The 1 October date was an application deadline for eligible existing unregistered providers. It was not a requirement for every pending application to have been approved by that day. An existing unregistered provider that missed the deadline cannot rely on that transition to continue.
1. Are you registered for SIL, or using a transition pathway?
Ask for the provider’s legal business name, Australian Business Number (ABN) and current registration certificate, including group 0138.
If their application is pending, ask when it was submitted and which transition pathway allows them to continue. Check the Commission’s Find a registered provider page. It includes the approved-provider search and a separate list of SIL applicants.
An application is not approved registration. If the information is unclear or does not match what you have been told, ask the Commission to clarify the provider’s status.
2. How will my support continue?
Ask what will happen to your regular workers, overnight support and essential daily assistance while registration is being assessed. Who will tell you about changes, and who can you contact outside normal office hours?
Also ask for the contingency plan if the provider cannot continue. Where the core NDIS Practice Standards apply, transitions should be planned with you where possible, documented and managed with attention to the risks of disruption.
Before cancelling an existing arrangement or accepting a replacement, work through how the handover will happen and when the new support will begin.
3. Are you proposing changes to my agreement or housing?
Ask the provider to identify any proposed changes to prices, support hours, shared-support ratios, overnight arrangements or notice periods. Request a written explanation of why each change is proposed and how it affects you.
The SIL standards require separate tenancy and service agreements where the same provider delivers both housing and SIL. Participants must be supported to understand that these are legally separate arrangements and one is not contingent on the other.
If you are told changing support providers means you must move, seek clarification and independent tenancy or legal advice before agreeing.
4. How do the new standards affect everyday support?
Registered SIL providers must meet the core NDIS Practice Standards and the new SIL standards, alongside certification audits and other registration conditions.
Ask how workers are trained for your needs and how your preferences influence daily routines. The SIL standards address worker skills and supported decision-making, including giving you accessible information and time to make choices. You can choose who supports you with those decisions.
5. How can I raise a concern?
Ask who handles complaints, how you will receive a response and how you can involve an advocate. You can report concerns about service quality or safety directly to the Commission on 1800 035 544. You do not have to raise the issue with your provider first. Plan funding questions should go to the NDIA on 1800 800 110.
Start with a clear answer about your provider
Request their registration details, your current agreement and an explanation of any proposed changes. Keep those documents together so you can compare the answers.
Newcastle Social Workers’ qualified local professionals help people across Newcastle and the Hunter understand their plans, find suitable providers and manage their supports. If you would like help checking your arrangements and deciding what to ask next, contact our team.
